By Rob Hull
Updated: 00:57 AEDT, 2 November 2024
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Electric cars, they're just too pricey.
That's one of the big arguments put forward by drivers refusing to consider buying one right now.
But in recent months we've been given a glimpse of what a future with affordable battery-powered vehicles could look like with a flurry of small, silent models being unveiled.
Hyundai is the latest brand to join the budget EV conga line with its new Inster - a model the Korean brand says will 'redefine ultra-small EVs' thanks to a super-practical interior, bounty of big-car equipment and a party trick or two.
While it's not due to arrive in the UK until mid-January, This is Money has been given early access to drive a pre-production car on Oxfordshire's country roads to determine if this could be the low-cost EV that changes Britain's mind about finally ditching the internal combustion engine...
Could this be Britain's first Inster-famous small EV? Hyundai's new Inster is due to arrive in UK showrooms in January. But before it does, MailOnline and This is Money Motoring Editor Rob Hull has tested a pre-production example to see if it might be the 'affordable' electric car that changes Britain's mind about finally ditching the internal combustion engine
First off the bat, this isn't a brand-new car; Hyundai's been selling it in Korea since 2021 under a different guise. And it's only just recently converted it to an EV.
Called the 'Casper' (officially the company's smallest ever model), it has been sold in Hyundai's home nation with a 1.0-litre engine and a very modest starting price that converts to around £7,800. But for 2024, it's been retrofitted with an electric drivetrain and rebranded for the European market (though still produced in a Korean factory).
Hyundai hasn't just tinkered with the namebadge (clearly trying to appeal to Gen Z social media fans); it's also tweaked the styling with EU customers in mind. But more on that later.
The Inster isn't actually that new. It has been sold - with a petrol engine - as the Casper in Hyundai's home nation, Korea. And it has proved incredibly popular
It will initially be available in the UK in two guises: Standard Range with a 42kWh battery, 71kW electric motor and range of 186 miles; and Long Range with a larger 49kWh battery pack, more potent 86kW e-motor and 229 miles of full-charge driving
To keep things simple, only two trim levels are available: 01 and 02. However, the level of equipment even in the most basic specification is extensive
UK deliveries: January 2025
Price: from £23,495 for Standard Range (£25,045 Long Range)
DIMENSIONS
Length: 3,825mm
Wheelbase: 2,580mm
Width: 1,610mm
Height: 1,575mm
Front head room: 1,028mm
Rear head room: 982mm
Front leg room: 1,050mm
Rear leg room: 885mm
Luggage space: 238 litres (up to 351 litres with rear seats slid forwards)
PERFORMANCE
Battery capacity: Standard: 42kWh / Long-Range: 49kWh
Power: Standard: 71.1 kW and 96bhp / Long-Range: 84.5 kW and 113bhp
Acceleration 0-62mph: Standard: 11.7 secs / Long-Range: 10.6 secs
Top speed: Standard: 87mph / Long-Range: 93mph
Range: Standard: over 186 miles / Long-Range: 229 miles
AC charging time: Standard: 4 hours / Long-Range: 4 hours 35 mins
10-80% fast charging: 30 mins
In the UK, it will be sold with two drivetrain options: Standard Range with a 42kWh battery, 71kW electric motor and range of 186 miles; and Long Range with a larger 49kWh battery pack, more potent 86kW e-motor and 229 miles of full-charge driving.
Their respective starting prices: £23,495 and £25,045. Not exactly cheap then, is it?
They share the same 11kW on-board charger, battery heating system and high-efficiency heat pump. As such, charging from 10 to 100 per cent using an 11kW wallbox at home takes around four hours (4hrs 35mins for the Long Range). And when you're caught short for range en route, a half-hour blast on a 150kW ultra-rapid public device will top it up from 10 to 80 per cent capacity.
To keep things simple, only two trim levels are available: 01 and 02.
Basic equipment is extensive: 15-inch alloy wheels, a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster and same-size touchscreen infotainment display with navigation, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connection (though not wireless), rear parking sensors with rear view camera, cruise control, auto headlights and keyless entry. Air conditioning with climate control is standard too, as are heated door mirrors.
Pay an extra £1,700 for the 02 spec and you get bigger 17-inch alloys, front parking sensors, the same heated multifunction steering wheel with LED lights you find in a Kona Electric, heated front seats and a wireless charging pad for your smartphone.
Fast charging using a 150kW public device will see the battery upped from 10% to 80% in half an hour. Using a home wallbox, it's closer to four hours for a near full charge (10-100%)
Hyundai's also equipped it with the full suite of driver assistance tech it bestows its much bigger cars. Forward collision avoidance assist, lane keep assistance, blind spot warning and driver attention monitoring; all of it is crammed into this compact package as standard.
In terms of dimensions, Inster falls into the 'A Segment' category, which is the smallest there is. Think Fiat 500, Toyota Aygo and VW Up! for reference.
At 3,825mm long, it's about a metre shorter than an average UK parking space. And at 1,610mm (excluding the mirrors), it's 80cm narrower too - so no fear of clattering its doors into the motor next to you at Asda or Tesco.
However, it's the height department where Inster is blessed; at 1,575mm, it's on par with a Nissan Juke crossover but without the jacked-up suspension.
First UK customers can expect to take delivery in early February and a rugged-looking Inster Cross is due later in 2025, offering barely any off-road capability but some outdoorsy features, including a 'roof basket' - at a premium price, of course.
Just like buses, we've been waiting for what feels an eternity for a budget-friendly EV to show up - then they've all come along at once. So, here's a whistle-stop tour of rivals the Inster will go head-to-head with in the next couple of years.
Let's start with the cheapest of all, the Dacia Spring. Launched earlier in 2024, it is priced from just £14,995 in the UK. It comes with a 26.8kWh battery and range up to 140 miles.
Not bad for £15k, right? Well, there is one issue: questionable crash protection. When safety body Euro NCAP tested one in 2022, it came back with scores of just 49 per cent for Adult Occupant protection and a mere 56 per cent for Child Occupant shielding.
Had the Inster been launched a year ago, Hyundai wouldn't have any competition in this compact EV segment. But today, there's quite a lot of choice, including the £15,000 Dacia Spring. However, the Romanian electric car does have a major sticking point...
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Leapmotor's T03 is a newcomer from China with a £16,000 asking price. That's genuinely cheap by new car standards, but it is a bit of a red herring for now
Arguably the most direct rival to the Hyundai Inster is the new Citroen e-C3, which costs from £22,000. It has similarly boxy proportions and a decent range
The Fiat 500e is the old guard of the competition, but we consider it a genuine rival because the Italian brand is currently shaving £3,000 off the RRP, meaning it starts from £22,000 today
Now on the move, let's first turn attention to acceleration, which, by EV standards, is pedestrian on paper.
The Long Range version I drove has a slightly quicker 0-to-62mph sprint time of 10.6 seconds (versus 11.7 in Standard Range), so it doesn't take off at warp-speed like something more potent, say a Tesla Model 3. That's no bad thing - especially for a car designed primarily for use in urban settings.
While it won't be winning drag races anytime soon, its usable in the real world. When departing a 30mph zone for a national speed limit, a punch of the throttle has you effortlessly pulling away from combustion engine cars behind. So, it's quick enough, I think.
Top speed is restricted to 93mph (87mph in Standard Range), but you'll never need - or want - to put this statistic to the test.
At lower speeds, the cabin acoustics do an adequate job of making the interior feel cossetted. However, from 50mph and above, tyre and wind noise both begin to intrude into the cockpit - and I imagine at motorway speed it could become quite a rowdy affair.
Inster's suspension is most definitely on the firm side. Small imperfections in the tarmac, like a shallow pothole or rumble strip, are dealt with adequately but more pronounced speed bumps can fling you around in your seat
In terms of ride comfort, it's definitely on the firm side. Small imperfections in the tarmac, like a shallow pothole or rumble strip, are managed quite well. However, approaching anything more pronounced - like one of those raised square speed hump islands - at anything but a crawl will fling you around in your seat.
This, I believe, is a consequence of the larger 17-inch wheels on this 02-spec test car, heavy batteries laden into the floor and inexpensive suspension components pushed beyond their capabilities of ironing out these effects.
However, having a battery anchor such a small car to the road does make the Inster feel surprisingly stable in the corners, even despite its lanky body.
A few circulations of roundabouts at pace failed to trigger understeer, body-roll or the car to pitch to one side.
Steering, while far from engaging, is effortlessly light, and the brakes offer decent levels of bite despite the typical initial sponginess from a regenerative system.
Finally, front three-quarter visibility is pretty good, though over-the-shoulder checks are met with a thick C-pillar at the back, which isn't ideal in some scenarios, like trying to judge traffic speed when navigating a motorway entry slip road.
While the Inster is impressive roomy and packed with kit, the truth is that a starting price of £23,500 isn't going to be cheap enough to convince Britain's general car-buying public to dip into their own purses
Without question, the Inster is an impressive package. For such a small car, it's hugely roomy and loaded with quality materials and kit you'd usually expect to find in bigger cars.
But this latter point, I fear, might also be its downfall.
Had Hyundai done away with some of the unnecessary features that generally aren't needed in such a compact car, they could have created an EV that's truly affordable.
Because the vast majority of electric car drivers are financing or leasing their motors, a model's residual value (which determine how much you pay over the contracted period) arguably becomes more important than its list price. And with more equipment typically comes slower depreciation.
But had the company scaled back luxuries like V2G, heated steering wheel, two digital displays and so forth, the Inster might possibly have boasted a starting price closer to petrol city cars (Dacia's Sandero is the cheapest from £13,795) and what is sure to be its biggest rival, the £15k Dacia Spring.
The truth is £23,500 really isn't cheap for such a small vehicle, especially if you're expecting the general car-buying public to dip into their own purses - and when the competition is some £8,500 (or 36 per cent) less expensive.
As such, Hyundai's latest arrival probably won't be Inster-famous in Britain.
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